Back in February, Microsoft promised Outlook.com users that the calendar would get an upgrade. That day has finally come, kind of. Today, Microsoft has detailed calendar changes, and has promised that the new features will begin rolling out this week.

What kinds of change can Outlook.com users expect? The company has said, exactly, what types of changes will take place, but better sharing options are definitely on the menu. Additionally, there are some new features that can be guessed at. Here are the details.

New Changes to Expect

The current Outlook.com calendar is kind of pathetic, and desperately in need of an upgrade. So, Microsoft's timing could be better. With the new Outlook.com calendar, you'll see a calendar that makes a lot more sense. But, the real changes to make note of come from sharing features. Prior, it was somewhat hard to share items via Outlook.com calendar. Now, sharing integration seems to be what Microsoft is after.

The new calendar UI has been out for awhile, and select users have had the chance to check out the new look. Now that the calendar upgrade is rolling out to all users, Microsoft can expect some high user praise. Further, many people were waiting for this upgrade to arrive before using Outlook.com, so Microsoft might seem a rise in users overall too.

Outlook.com Calendar Compared

Why do so many people use Outlook.com when other options exist? The appeal of Outlook goes back a long way. For years, Outlook users have stuck to the service claiming that it's the best available option. On the one hand, many businesses purchase MS Office and are then stuck with Outlook (and, let's face it, it's hard to change). On the other hand, Outlook is just easy to use.

How is Outlook.com different than Outlook? Essentially, Outlook.com is a cloud version of Outlook. Outlook is really a desktop application that many people use (and have used for extended periods of time) for business purposes.

Should you try Outlook.com? It looks like Microsoft is serious about Outlook.com, and the company has sunk a lot of advertising dollars into the service. So, why not give Outlook.com a shot if you're looking for a new calendar and email option?

When Changes Will Take Place

When will you see the noted Outlook.com changes? Microsoft is stating that this week will mark the new calendar changes. Check your Outlook.com account now to see if the changes have been implemented. If not, you will see some new options pop up later this week.

The news that Outlook.com calendar finally has gone through the upgrade process is big news. Even though Microsoft promised these changes awhile ago, they have just started to take place. I'll keep you posted on those changes, let you know if they are worth your signing up for an Outlook.com account, and any other news from Microsoft. One things for sure, it definitely looks like MS is taking this whole cloud thing seriously! Stay tuned!